Montana Harvest

A copy of Montana Harvest is free for Amazon Prime members via the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. Click on the title link.

Alan Caruba's review of 'Montana Harvest'

Read Alan Caruba's review of 'Montana Harvest' under section, 'Novels, Novels, Novels' about 1/3 of the way down the page by clicking on the title link of this post. Alan Caruba is an editor and one of the founding members of the National Book Critics Circle, an organization that honors outstanding writing and is partly funded by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

A 51-year old Message to the American People

On the 50th anniversary of JFK's death, I remind everyone that on August 15, 1962, John F. Kennedy spoke to delegates from some 90 tribes on the South Lawn at the White House. He told them: “I hope that this visit here, which is more than ceremonial, will be a reminder to all Americans of the number of Indians whose housing is inadequate, whose education is inadequate, whose employment is inadequate, whose health is inadequate, whose security and old age is inadequate—a very useful reminder that there is still a good deal of unfinished business.” 

It is indeed sad that after more than 51 years many of these issues that President Kennedy spoke of are still unfulfilled today.

Picture and quote reprinted from Indian Country Today.

Montana Harvest Customer Review

A customer posted the following review for Montana Harvest on Amazon.com:

"Colorful and descriptive writing. A suspenseful story. Tension and excitement builds with each chapter. Speaking as a medical professional, his research was impeccable; as well as the research on Native American spiritual customs and law enforcement. Very enjoyable read -- 5 stars"

If you've read Montana Harvest and care to post your own review on Amazon, you can use the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?ie=UTF8&asin=B00G5FFIBU&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=133140011&ref_=cm_cr_dp_wrt_btm&store=digital-text

Montana Harvest Signing Event

Just 22 days until CAPA Holiday Authors Event: Willington Public Library, 7 Ruby Road, Willington, CT, 12/14/13, 9:00 AM

Montana Harvest Novel Excerpt

I have added an excerpt from my novel, Montana Harvest to my website. The excerpt includes chapter 16 in its entirety, pages 87-94. Clicking on the title link of this blog entry will bring you to the excerpt on my website.

Website Makeover

I converted to a more professional template for my website that also gives it a rustic feel. I included additional photos from my Montana trip on each of the individual website pages. Tell me what you think.

Montana Harvest's Barnes & Noble page

The paperback edition of Montana Harvest is now available for purchase on Barnes & Noble's website. Click on the title link to go to my novel's page.

Montana Harvest Now On Goodreads

Montana Harvest is now available on Goodreads, a site where you can explore, rate, and recommend books to other readers. Click on the title link to go to my Goodreads page for Montana Harvest.

Copy of Montana Harvest to be donated to a Connecticut homeless shelter

This newly purchased copy of Montana Harvest will be donated through my membership with the Connecticut Authors & Publishers Association to one of the following homeless shelters In Connecticut: South Park Inn in Hartford, Columbus House in New Haven, or Operation Hope in Fairfield.

MONTANA HARVEST

Montana Harvest, a Jim Buchanan series novel is free for Amazon Prime members via the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. Click on the title of this blog entry to go to the Amazon store where you can download my novel for free if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber and have a Kindle.

Holiday Authors Event

I will be signing copies of my new novel, Montana Harvest at the Connecticut Authors & Publishers' Holiday Authors Event on Saturday, December 14 at the Willington Public Library, from 9 am - 3 pm. 

Willington Public Library, 7 Ruby Road, Willington, CT 06279

Montana Harvest Now Available In Paperback

Montana Harvest

by Felix F. Giordano (Author)

Now available in paperback on Amazon.com. Click on the title link of this blog entry to bring you to my novel's marketplace on Amazon.

About the Novel:

Torn between two different worlds, Jim Buchanan, the son of a Scottish immigrant and a Native American woman, had it all--a lucrative sports career and celebrity status. But it wasn't enough to satisfy a deeper hunger. So he sacrificed it all to return to his roots, to the land he knew and loved.

In fictional Cedar County, Montana, Sheriff Buchanan is the law. When the FBI approaches him concerning a missing persons investigation, it threatens not only his own life but also the life of the person dearest to his heart.

In his attempt to crack the case, Jim comes to grip with a long-held family secret and experiences the mystical nature of his Native American heritage.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author:

The son of a Scottish immigrant and a Native American woman, Jim Buchanan found his glory on the gridiron. After a star-studded college career and three years with the Chicago Bears, Jim Buchanan retired from football. A deeper hunger within his soul compelled him to yearn for something more.

A hitch in the United States Air Force as a military policeman piqued his interest in law enforcement and upon returning to the states he joined the Montana Highway Patrol. Three years later he was elected county sheriff.

Montana Harvest begins in the spring of Jim Buchanan's first year as sheriff of Cedar County, Montana.

Montana Harvest

Montana Harvest, the first novel in the Jim Buchanan series is now in Kindle format on Amazon.com. 

The son of a Scottish immigrant and a Native American woman, Jim Buchanan found his glory on the gridiron. After a star-studded college career and three years with the Chicago Bears, Jim Buchanan retired from football. A deeper hunger within his soul compelled him to yearn for something more. 

A hitch in the United States Air Force as a military policeman piqued his interest in law enforcement and upon returning to the states he joined the Montana Highway Patrol. Three years later he was elected county sheriff. 

Montana Harvest begins in the spring of Jim Buchanan's first year as sheriff of Cedar County, Montana. The FBI approaches Jim concerning a missing persons investigation and in his attempt to crack the investigation, Jim comes to grip with a long-held family secret and experiences the mystical nature of his Native American heritage.

The paperback edition will be available shortly. You can access the novel by clicking on the title link of this blog entry.

Montana Harvest Pictures

Back in the Saddle Again

I'm in the process of redoing my writing area which will make it more conducive to writing. Had a dream the other night which will become a short story that will appear in More Tales From Half Moon Room. It's about a father who surrenders his fifteen year old, runaway daughter to Sheriff Jim Buchanan's office and wants her and her eighteen year old boyfriend jailed. As Jim delves deeper into the family relationships he realizes that what at first seemed obvious just scratches the surface.

"Incident at Dead River Junction"

There is a town in Vermont called White River Junction and I grew attached to the name and wanted to use a form of it for the title of one of my novels. I initially did just that for my fourth novel in the Jim Buchanan series, Incident at Cold River Junction. A fictional ghost town set in Montana, I really liked the name, Cold River Junction. However, I recently discovered that Cold River Junction is the name of an actual business in Concan, Texas and so I am considering renaming my novel, Incident at Dead River Junction.

My First Paragraphs

Montana Harvest -

The thunderstorm continued to bully its way onto the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In an old two-room unheated cabin with tarpapered roof and a few plywood-covered windows, the extended Robinson family huddled in the lone bedroom. Sandy Robinson, an eighteen-year-old unwed mother of three held her oldest in her arms. Each crash of thunder caused the four year old to dig his fingers into her shoulders. The clasp of the chained locket around her neck loosened each time that he did.

Mystery at Little Bitterroot -

A long, inquisitive sniff, a lick, a bite, and then the hungry scavenger braced its hind legs. Tugging at her find and shaking her head, the coyote loosened the carcass from the riverbank. Behind her, the field of buffalograss, a shade of gold under the Montana sun, darkened as a weather front crept across the landscape.

The Killing Zone -

At 8:47 PM, Mick, dressed in blue jeans, a short sleeve t-shirt and a black leather jacket drew a long drag from his cigarette as he stood outside the liquor store with his friend Ray who shooed a moth that seemed interested in the overhead light above the door. A young, attractive woman, professionally dressed, walked up to them. Mick stepped out of the way.

Incident at Dead River Junction -

Parked on the breakdown lane of a lonely stretch of US Highway 228, just west of Taylor, sat a Montana Highway Patrol cruiser. Tired, anxious, and on the back end of a ten-hour shift, Officer McCoy stared at the sun as it continued its slow dive behind the Cabinet Mountain Range. Aroused by the intrusion of smoldering aspen riding on a crosscurrent summer breeze, he rolled down his window.

Incident at Cold River Junction

I've begun writing the fourth novel in the Jim Buchanan Series, Incident at Cold River Junction. 

"When a trip home takes a scenic detour through a Montana ghost town, Sheriff Jim Buchanan and his teenage nephew Josh are faced with more than they bargained for. Alone and cut off from help, Jim must protect Josh from the mysterious inhabitants of Cold River Junction, face off against a familiar and evil adversary, and discover a way home."

Know the Power that is Peace

Black Elk was a holy man of the Lakota Sioux Nation (click on the title of this post to learn more about Black Elk).

Black Elk's Prayer, as translated by John G. Neihardt, is as follows:

Grandfather, Great Mysterious One,

You have been always,

and before you nothing has been.

There is nothing to pray to but you.

The star nations all over the universe are yours,

and yours are the grasses of the earth.

Day in, day out, you are the life of things...

You are older than all need, older than all pain and prayer.

Grandfather, all over the world the faces

of living ones are alike.

In tenderness they have come up

out of the ground.

Look upon your children

with children in their arms,

that they may face the winds and 

walk the Good Road to the Day of Quiet.

Teach me to walk the soft earth.

a relative to all that live.

Sweeten my heart,

and fill me with light.

Give me the strength to understand and

the eyes to see.

Help me, for without you,

I am nothing.

Hetchetu aloh!

I captured this picture of one of Black Elk's phrases on the outside wall of the visitor's center at the Little Bighorn National Battlefield. The first part of the dialogue is in his own language and the second part translated into English.

When I went inside the visitor's center I was immediately overwhelmed by the massive loss of life on both sides at the Battle of Little Bighorn and my emotions overcame me. When one of the admission representatives approached me I could not stop shaking and my heart raced. In that state, I was unable to purchase a ticket. She suggested that I sit on a bench for a few minutes. 

Once I thought I was able to control my emotions, I purchased a ticket and attended a short film on the battle. Sadness again engulfed me and my eyes welled up with tears as I listened to the story of how the US Government and Native American Nations each both foolish and strong-headed, descended toward an unavoidable confrontation.

Outside, the battlefield itself causes one to reflect on the magnitude of suffering. Here are random pictures that I captured. I believe they speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lives taken unnecessarily because of man's inability to sit and speak with one another. Pride, ambition, stubbornness, revenge, all get in the way when what we really need is love, empathy, and understanding. If we could for once just let our minds listen to our hearts.

Along The Tracks

During my Amtrak trip out west in 2011, I saw many simple but beautiful sights of our country right along the tracks from my window seat. These pictures are from Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Montana and are but a few of many that I captured.

 

 

 

The Crazy Mountains

The Crazy Mountains near Big Timber, Montana are believed to be a spiritual place according to Native American legend. I traveled there in October, 2011 hiking in the Gallatin National Forest along Big Timber Creek Falls where I saw mule deer along with fascinating sites and breathtaking vistas. In a state where remote is a relative word, the Gallatin National Forest is about as remote as one can get and still be within a half-hour drive of civilization. The Gallatin National Forest has served as a backdrop to many western movies, most notably Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer.

Upon leaving for the day I shot a short panoramic video of the Crazy Mountains from the approach road to the forest.

Short video of the Crazy Mountains

Glacier National Park

One of many photos that I took while in Glacier National Park. Click on the title of this post to learn more about the park.

Virginia City, Montana

A picture of the Wells Fargo Office in Virginia City, Montana (JP, this one's for you). 

In the fall of 2011, one of the places that I visited in Montana was Virginia City which is a working ghost town. That means the buildings are preserved as they once were over one hundred years ago when the town was bustling but the town still has an active government. In fact, it is the county seat of Madison County, Montana. 

As I walked the streets, I marveled at the richness and diversity of the town buildings. Although the purpose of some buildings has changed, such as the Wells Fargo & Co. Overland Mail and Express Office is now a restaurant, most, if not all of Virginia City's buildings are in a historic district and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

To learn more about Virginia City, click on the following link:

 Virginia City

Please take the time to view the video, Virginia City...Where History Lives. As I watched it, I saw historic photos taken over one-hundred years ago of people standing in front of the exact same buildings I walked past during my visit. It's a breath of Americana that you won't regret witnessing.

Here are a few more of my Virginia City photos:

In Honor of Shep

When I visited Fort Benton, Montana in October, 2011 on the banks of the Missouri River, I stumbled upon a memorial that brought tears to my eyes. We sometimes marvel at the loyalty and intelligence that our four-legged friends exhibit. They are truly in-tune with the world in a way that we can only imagine.

Barbed wire, golden grass, and snow-capped mountains in Big Sky Country!

This is a picture near the entrance to Gallatin National Forest in Big Timber, Montana. The Crazy Mountains are in the background.

Sasquatch

Sasquatch

Mighty creature sent from Creator,

you are lord and master of the wood.

The stars are your tipi, the sun is your fire,

for thousands of years, your legend has stood.

 Keeper of Mother Earth, that is your task,

your bond with her is deep and without end.

Hidden in the wild, you live a life of peace.

a silent sentinel, a Native’s eternal friend.

Powerful as the trees are tall,

you walk unbowed among the bear,

Gentle like the ladyslipper,

you smile at the woodland hare.

Oft misunderstood across this land,

the white man saw you and ran.

Wise in the ways of Mother Earth,

Sasquatch, you teach us how to be human.

© 2007, Felix Giordano

Editor's Note: This photo is a cropping of a larger picture which was taken in September, 2011 at Ross Creek Cedars in the Kootenai National Forest in Northwest Montana just outside of Troy and Libby, Montana. After I returned home my son spotted an anomaly in the picture which is unexplained and could be an image of a creature covered with dark brown or black hair.

Creator’s Gift of Life

Creator’s Gift of Life

When trees have shed their leaves, and the days are short and cold, watch the bare limbs reach to the sky in praise of Creator! 

When the winter winds arrive, the branches, freed of their leafy bonds, sway in the breeze, like a dance of submission to the powers of Mother Earth.

Breathe deep the crisp air and rejoice for the trees lead us in a new and profound way to honor the wondrous gift of life!       

     

© 2013, Felix Giordano